The Angry Birds Workout Plan

Hopefully you’ve at least HEARD of Angry Birds, the game that pretty much took over every app store on every phone in every country in 2010. Next time you see somebody holding an iPhone sideways, just asked them “Angry Birds?” and there’s a good chance you’ll get a head nod. If you’ve never played Angry Birds, here’s the lowdown: it’s a 99-cent game that’s deceptively simple: launch your “angry birds” via sling shot at towers and buildings housing green pigs and try to destroy them with as few birds as possible.

Depending on how many birds it takes you to kill these things, you’re awarded a score for the level – 1, 2, or 3 stars. Each level gets more and more complicated as there are more obstacles to work around, more green pigs to kill, and birds with different abilities to launch.

Sounds simple enough, right?

…so what makes this game so great that everybody has it on their iPhone? It’s because Angry Birds is a lot of fun to play, whether you have three hours or three minutes – you ALWAYS have enough time to beat a level or two and accomplish something.

WTF does this have to do with working out?”

Simple!

Anybody that says they “don’t have time to work out” is either:

Lazy

Lying

Uninformed

Because you’re reading Nerd Fitness, if you tell me “I don’t have time to work out” I’m going to pray that it’s because you’re uninformed – the Rebellion doesn’t do well with liars or lazy people.

Today, we’re going to see how Angry Birds can teach us to make a workout fit into any schedule imaginable. If you can find find 5 minutes here, ten minutes there, and you actually care about bettering yourself (much offense intended to those that don’t care…you’re reading the wrong site), you can get in a full workout.

Now unfortunately, this pretty much renders the “I don’t have enough time to workout” excuse obsolete, which means that the lazy folks and liars will actually have to start working out instead of complaining how busy their lives are!

Introducing…

The Angry Birds Workout Plan!

If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you know that your diet will be 80% of your success or failure when it comes to getting in shape: if you can eat right, then your workout will merely supplement your awesomeness.

I’ve found that in the past whenever I get lazy and convince myself that I don’t have enough time to work out, I tend to skip out on eating well that day too. With today’s workout, you’ll be able to get your workout done throughout the day, which will keep your mind focused on “I am full of win and I am getting in shape” and will also help you make good decisions when eating well throughout the day.

I’ve been doing only body weight workouts while traveling, so I figured today would be a good day to give away a free body weight workout plan that makes it impossible for you to say “I don’t have time.” I’ve had to chop up my workouts to work around bus schedules, last minute activities and more. These things happen; luckily you can still get an awesome workout in by dividing it into smaller pieces.

Here’s how The Angry Bird Workout Plan works: it’s deceptively simple – only four major movements.

Body weight squats

Push ups

Pull ups (or bent over rows or inverted rows)

Planks

Each exercise will have MANY different levels based on your ability and level of fitness.

Depending on how much time you have during the day, you can do your whole workout at once, or break up your workout into four different sessions throughout the day (with each session being ONE of the exercises). You can even split the workout across two days if you have to: squats and push ups on Monday, and then pull ups and planks on Tuesday.

Here’s a sample day:

Wake up, do 40 jumping jacks to warm up, and then do body weight squats.

At lunch, you grab your suitcase and do bent over rows.

After work, you do another 50 jumping jacks and then do your push ups.

After dinner, you do your planks while watching TV.

How it works

Your goal is to do the required number of reps for your level in two sets or less. Just like in Angry Birds, you can award yourself a star rating based on how you did:

2 total sets to reach the required number of reps – 3 STARS: advance to the next level

3 total sets to reach the required number of reps – 2 STARS: work towards two sets

4 total sets to reach the required number of reps – 1 STAR: not bad, but you can do better

5 or more sets to reach the required number of reps – ZERO STARS: you have work to do!

This means the best score you could get for a day’s workout would be 12 stars: 4 exercises and 3 stars per exercise, and you then move up to the next level for all four exercises for the next workout.

A few bits of important info:

You can be at different levels for each exercise: you can be at level 5 on squats and only level 2 on push ups. That’s okay!

Rest 60 seconds between sets. use a stop watch or your phone to keep track of time between sets. Be consistent!

On the set that you cross the goal number for total reps – don’t stop at that number if you can do more – keep going, and keep track of your total.

Don’t do this workout two days in a row – give your muscles time to recover: every other day should be fine.

Record each of your workouts: write down your total number of reps, sets, and how long you waited between each so you can compare from workout to workout. I’ve included an Angry Birds Workout sheet at the end.

As soon as you can do the total number of reps within two sets, you level up and work towards the next goal set of reps.

Warm up before each session – something to get the blood flowing to your muscles so you don’t pull anything! I recommend 40-50 jumping jacks (or as many as you can do).

Get Angry!

Want an even BIGGER challenge? Do the four exercises as a circuit, which will exhaust you even more and give your heart a great workout:

Do as many push ups as you can do, write down the number

Immediately do as many squats as you can do, write down the number

Immediately do as many back exercises as you can do (depending on your level), write down your reps.

Immediately hold a plank for as long as you can, write down the time.

Rest for as long as you need to (though generally no more than 2 minutes is recommended).

Start back at push ups, and continue the cycle until you complete each rep requirement.

If you finish the total reps for one exercise before another, you can rest or go right to the next exercise.

This will require you to do the whole workout at once, but it shouldn’t take you more than 20-25 minutes. Keep track of your total time and work on besting that number each time.

Give em the bird

This type of workout is set up similarly to how the Body Weight Brigade workouts are set up in the Rebel Strength Guide, so make sure you check it out!

The Rebel Strength Guide has more exercises, variations, and varieties along with a greater focus on strength and muscle building, but is set up similarly with ranks and levels so that you can advance at your own pace (and more importantly, see progress from workout to workout!).

Because I’m a nice guy, I’ve included an Angry Birds Workout sheet that you can download if you want to keep track of your progress. I’ve filled in the first day as an example if you’re curious how to fill it out. It’s an Excel document, but you can download and then open in Google Docs if you don’t have Excel. Page 1 has space for five workouts, page two is a reprint of the exercises and levels so you know what you need to do.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on the Angry Birds Workout after you’ve tried it once or twice. How are the levels – is level 1 way too easy or way too tough? Gap between levels too big or two small? Let me know!

Oh man, Angry Birds workout. Please tell me you’re going to make a Flappy Bird workout, too!? (Hopefully I haven’t just purely missed it if you already have it up, lol)

Marty Waite Jr.

Cookies you also have to remember that you have 2 sets to complete 60 seconds. Now I agree the the higher levels should be dumbed down a bit but thats where the star rating system comes in. It should motivate you to do better the next time you do the work out.

Marty Waite Jr.

Steve I’m not sure whether you’re crazy, ingenuitive, or just plain awesome, but I would like you’re opinion on what you think is a more exhausting workout the Angry Bird Workout or the Konami Code Workout? I did my first Konami Code work out yesterday and even though it was only 5 sets I was sore today. I’m looking forward to doing this one too after I do better on the Konami Code Workout.

brista

Yay! Super helpful.

Jack Jackson

You are beautiful

Andrew Mulligan

Sounds like an awesome plan, will be giving it a try.

Yinners

I’m hoping this isn’t a question that has already been addressed… but why does it go level 1-40, level 2-20, and level 3-50?

Sherman.exe

Because its 40 INCLINE push ups, then 20 REGULAR push ups. And regular push ups are way harder than incline push ups.

Yinners

i understand that, but it also lists that you can still do incline pushups… so I guess I want to know what to do if you’ll be sticking with the slightly more beginner levels on things, because I certainly still can’t do regular pushups… I’ve never had much upper body strength

Good lord… Just finished the angry birds and can’t feel my muscles next to the armpits. First time ever. God, I’m such a weird person. Could reach to 50 squats in one go, but heck could only complete the 40 incline push ups in 4 rounds… Embarrassing.. Rows were much easier again 50 reps right and 65 reps left side at once. Planks in 53 and 25 secs.. I’m sticking to this workout for sure!! Thanks Steve!!

Madalina Soare

The biggest issue with a workout is that I unfortunately get bored of it really quickly (2 weeks), so I really appreciate the variety, thank you for that. Also, congratulations for this website, I can’t begin to imagine the amount of work that went into it.

If possible, I would like if you had any ideas about more types of arms and back of exercises that I could do with just my weight or household items. I move a lot, travel light and gym isn’t usually an option.

Pablo Roufogalis

On squats and pushups, when it says “Start back at level 1 with overhead/jump squats or decline pushups, does it mean I know do 30 overhead and then 50 overhead or immediately to 30 jump squats?

I love this! When I first read the title, I imagined people who were doing it as being flung from slingshots, although I knew that wouldn’t be the case. My imagination works overtime, though. haha

I just did the first day of this, & it only took me 1 set for all but the planks, & I’m not saying it was super easy. I’m quite out of shape & am not really into strength training. I love the idea of using my own weight, though, in strength training. Thanks for this workout! 😀

Elyse Lorraine

This is absolutely awesome!

Nikki

So, first day. I did squats- 25 and 5, had to rest in between. is my next goal to do it in one set with no break, then the next level?

I’m not exactly a fitness guru…Actually, I’m a couch potato. And I’m starting to look like one, so I googled bodyweight workouts for beginners and ended up here. I just finished my first attempt (I did level 1 as a sort of circuit, doing half of each with quick rests in between to not die, then the other half) and I have to say.. I like it. A lot. You go, Gwen Coco. I mean, you go, Steve.

Blair Hess

So when do we get the Angry Bird Wirkout App to track progress on our phones while on the go? Great concept, thanks!

DenSmith

Hello.
My coach told me to start accept steroids. I am new to all of this. After all,it’s not secret, that steroids is the most effective means for a set of lean muscle mass and increase strength. I decided to try. On another forum, peole advised me a website where you can buy them. thepharmacom.com. Some of you made the order on this site?What are you thinking about it?

JakeWilliams

I get my steroids there for a long time. For a once I had some difficults with delivery service.
Now there isn’t problems with delivery.
P.S This is my last order there